Bronto Skylift
Bronto Skylift Oy is a Finnish company that builds aerial platforms for the fire service and commercial uses. The company's 112m (367ft) platform holds the world record as the tallest fire service aerial device ever to be offered. History Bronto Skylift can trace its history back to 1938 and has been building articulating boom aerial platforms since the 1960s. The current company was founded in 1972 and at that time sales outside of Europe began to occur. In 1986 the Bronto Skylift became available to the North American fire service when Anderson's Engineering of British Columbia, Canada became the North American distributor for Bronto, building on custom and commercial chassis. In 1995 E-One became the North American distributor for Bronto's fire service aerial devices. E-One was Bronto's exclusive North American distributor until 2011, when rival Pierce held the contract, and again from 2014 through 2017 when Fort Garry became an additional distributor, building on Spartan chassis. Production Bronto's aerial devices combine features of both an articulating boom (snorkel) and telescoping platform (tower ladder). Their aerial platforms are available in heights of 17m (56ft) to 112m (367ft). They offer aerial booms with or without a ladder. Bronto currently offers 9 fire service oriented models. The ALR series is a telescoping boom aerial platform available as a 23 or 28 meter unit. The CTL is a telescoping boom aerial platform. At 17 meters it is Bronto's smallest firefighting unit. The HDA series is an articulating telescoping boom aerial platform with the platform stowed behind the vehicle like a Snorkel. HDAs were offered through both Anderson and E-One in a 91' (27m) model. The HDT series is an articulating telescoping boom aerial platform, offered in 32, 37, 42 and 54 metres. An extended horizontal reach variant of the 32, 37 and 42 metre platforms was also available as the HDT-ER; the 37m HDT-ER was available through E-One for a time as the F118 HDT-ER (118'), and the 42m HDT as the F135 HDT (135'). The HDT series is no longer offered, apparently succeeded by the RLP for the North American market. The HLA series provides Bronto's tallest units which currently range from 78 to 112 meters. One 50 metre (167') model was supplied by E-One/Superior to Calgary. The RLP series is an articulating telescoping boom aerial platform, available through E-One in 4 different lengths: 100 feet (30 metres), 114 feet (35 metres), and 134 feet (41 metres), plus the RLP+ with improved controls at 116 feet (35 metres). The 116' RLP+ is also offered through Fort Garry. Pierce supplied a single 1996 model 174' (53 metres) RLP to South Padre Island, Texas. The RLX series is available in 8 lengths from 32 to 55 meters. All are equipped with a ladder alongside the boom. The RPX series is similar to the RLX series but is not equipped with a ladder. It is available in 11 lengths from 32 to 70 meters. The RPX-SE is a variation of the RPX aerial platform. It is available as a 44 meter unit with one or two 1600gpm monitors or a 55 meter unit with one 1600gpm monitor. The TLK is a 32 meter articulating boom / ladder similar to the RLX series, but slightly more compact. The WFT series is an articulating boom water tower. It is similar in operation to Bronto's aerial platforms, but it only provides an elevated master stream. It comes in lengths of 40 to 66 meters. The XR series is available in 45 meter and 60 meter versions, both equipped a ladder alongside the boom. The 60m (198 feet) version is currently the World's tallest aerial ladder. External links Bronto-Skylift Firefighting products Sources :* McCall, Walter M.P. Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Fire Engine Manufacturers. Hudson, WI: Iconografix, 2007. :* McCall, Walter M.P. The Evolution of Aerial Fire Apparatus. Hudson, WI: Iconografix, 2009. :* Company promotional literature and advertising Category:Apparatus Component Manufacturers